Juan Gómez-Jurado: Contract with God aka The Moses Expedition

‘I can understand your surprise, given what the media has said about Mr Kayn. As you probably know, my employer is a person who values his privacy…’

He’s a fucking hermit, that’s what he is , thought Orville.

‘… but you needn’t worry. Ordinarily, he doesn’t want to meet strangers, but if you follow certain procedures…’

They walked down a narrow hall, at the end of which loomed the bright metallic doors of a lift.

‘What do you mean, “ordinarily”, Mr Russell?’

The executive cleared his throat.

‘I should inform you that you will be only the fourth person, aside from the top executives of this firm, to have met Mr Kayn in the five years I’ve worked for him.’

Orville let out a long whistle.

‘That’s something.’

They reached the lift. There was no up or down button, only a small numerical pad on the wall.

‘Would you kindly look the other way, Mr Watson?’ Russell said.

The young Californian did as he was told. There was a series of beeps as the executive punched in a code.

‘You can turn around now. Thank you.’

Orville turned back to face him again. The doors of the lift opened and two men stepped in. Again there were no buttons, only a magnetic card reader. Russell took out his plastic card and slid it briefly into the slot. The doors closed and the lift moved smoothly upward.

‘Your boss certainly takes his security seriously,’ Orville said.

‘Mr Kayn has received quite a few death threats. In fact, some years back he suffered a rather serious attempt on his life and was lucky to emerge unharmed. Please don’t be alarmed by the mist. It’s absolutely safe.’

Orville was wondering what on earth Russell was talking about, when a fine mist began to fall from the ceiling. Looking up, Orville observed several devices that were spewing out a fresh cloud of spray.

‘What’s going on?’

‘It’s a light antibiotic compound, absolutely safe. Do you like the smell?’

Hell, he even sprays his visitors before he sees them to make sure they’re not going to give him their germs. I’ve changed my mind. This guy’s not a hermit, he’s a paranoid freak.

‘Mmmm, yes, not bad. Mint, right?’

‘Essence of wild mint. Very refreshing.’

Orville bit his lips to suppress a reply, and concentrated instead on the seven figures he’d be billing Kayn once he emerged from this gilded cage. The thought revived him somewhat.

The lift doors opened on to a magnificent space filled with natural light. Half of the thirty-ninth floor was a giant terrace enclosed by glass walls, providing a panoramic view of the Hudson River. Straight ahead was Hoboken and over to the south, Ellis Island.

‘Impressive.’

‘Mr Kayn enjoys remembering his roots. Please follow me.’ The simple decor stood in contrast to the majesty of the view. The floor and the furniture were all white. The other half of the floor, with a view of Manhattan, was separated from the glassed-in terrace by a wall, also white and with several doors. Russell stopped in front of one of them.

‘Very well, Mr Watson, Mr Kayn will see you now. But before you go in, I’d like to outline a few simple rules for you. First of all, do not look directly at him. Second, do not ask him questions. And third, do not attempt to touch him or go near him. When you enter you’ll see a small table with a copy of your report and a remote control for your Power Point presentation which your office provided us with this morning. Remain by the table, do your presentation, and leave as soon as you’ve finished. I’ll be here waiting for you. Is that clear?’

Orville nodded nervously.

‘I’ll do the best I can.’

‘Very well then, go on in,’ said Russell, as he opened the door.

The Californian hesitated before entering the room.

‘Oh, one more thing. Netcatch has discovered something interesting in a routine investigation we did for the FBI. There are indications to suggest that Kayn Industries could be targeted by Islamic terrorists. It’s all in this report,’ said Orville, handing the assistant a DVD. Russell took it with a worried look. ‘Consider it a courtesy on our part.’

‘Thank you very much indeed, Mr Watson. And good luck.’

AMMAN, JORDAN

Wednesday, 5 July 2006. 6:11 p.m.

On the other side of the world, Tahir Ibn Faris, a minor official in the Ministry of Industry, was leaving his office a bit later than usual. The reason was not his dedication to his job, which was in fact exemplary, but his desire to avoid being seen. It took him less than two minutes to reach his destination, which was not the customary bus stop but the luxurious Meridien, the finest five-star hotel in Jordan, which was currently lodging the two gentlemen who had requested this meeting through a well-known industrialist. Unfortunately, this particular intermediary had made his reputation through channels that were neither respectable nor clean. Tahir therefore suspected that the invitation for coffee might have shady undertones. And although he was proud of his twenty-three years of honest work at the Ministry, he was beginning to have less use for pride and more for hard cash; the reason being that his eldest daughter was about to get married, and that was going to cost him.

On his way to one of the executive suites, Tahir examined his reflection in the mirror, wishing he had the look of a greedier man. He was barely five feet six inches tall, and his belly, greying beard, and increasing baldness made him look more like an affable drunk than a corrupt government employee. He wanted to erase the slightest trace of integrity from his features.

What more than two decades of honesty couldn’t give him was the correct mind-set for what he was doing. As he knocked on the door, his knees made their own percussion. He managed to calm himself down an instant before entering the suite, where he was greeted by a well-dressed American who looked about fifty. Another much younger man was seated in the spacious living room and was smoking as he talked on his mobile phone. When he noticed Tahir, he ended the call and stood up to greet him.

‘ Ahlan wa sahlan ,’ he welcomed him in perfect Arabic.

Tahir was taken aback. When, on various occasions, he had refused bribes to reclassify land for industrial and commercial use in Amman -a veritable gold mine for his less scrupulous colleagues – he had not done so out of a sense of duty, but because of the insulting arrogance of westerners who, within minutes of meeting him, would drop wads of dollar bills on the table.

The conversation with these two Americans couldn’t have been more different. Before Tahir’s astonished eyes, the older one sat down in front of a low table, where he had prepared four dellas , Bedouin coffee pots, and a small coal fire. With a sure hand he roasted fresh coffee beans in an iron frying pan and let them cool. He then ground the roasted beans with more mature ones in the mahbash , a small mortar. The whole process was accompanied by a steady stream of conversation, except when the pestle was rhythmically striking the mahbash , since this sound is considered by the Arabs as a kind of music whose artistry should be appreciated by the guest.

The American added cardamom seeds and a pinch of saffron, meticulously brewing the mixture according to a tradition that went back centuries. As was customary, the guest – Tahir – held the cup, which had no handle, while the American filled it halfway, for it was the host’s privilege to serve the most important person in the room first. Tahir drank the coffee, still slightly sceptical about the results. He thought he wouldn’t have more than one cup since it was already late, but after tasting the brew he was so delighted that he drank four more. He would have ended up having a sixth cup, were it not for the fact that it was considered impolite to drink an even number.